UFC bantamweight Sean O'Malley threw out a beautiful first pitch at an Arizona Diamondbacks game, with fans saying he should give Conor McGregor tips.
The Irish fighter infamously threw out a comical effor t last September during a visit to Chicago and was mocked on social media when the video went viral. But O'Malley had much better luck as he threw a strike in front of an impressed crowd at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.
O'Malley, 27, is training for his upcoming fight with Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276 in Las Vegas next month but took some time out to attend the game. Born in Montana, O'Malley resides in Arizona and is coached at at the MMA Lab in Glendale.
Fans took to Twitter to compare his pitch to McGregor's, with one writing: "Sean O’Malley with the best ceremonial first pitch of all time, take notes Conor McGregor." Some noted that the throw wasn't exactly perfect in form, but by usual celebrity standards was a peach.
Some defended the Irishman, noting that baseball isn't played at any level in his home country. "Considering McGregor is Irish and probably never played baseball or pitched before in his life kinda explains why he was so bad," one wrote.
One onlooker added that O'Malley's throw was "straight down the pipe" and another said that it's "got to be top 10 ceremonial first pitch, right? Bro was right down the middle".
O'Malley is 15-1 as a professional in MMA, although he consistently denies that he lost his August 2020 bout with Marlon Vera. He was beaten by TKO due to strikes on the ground after injuring his leg during the bout, but he has taken the Chael Sonnen approach of continuing to refer to himself as undefeated.
He will face arguably one of the toughest tests of his career on July 2, when he faces No.10-ranked Munhoz. O'Malley is ranked No.13 but could break into the top 10 with a victory at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
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However, he has still claimed that he is "balling out" with his UFC payouts despite never having fought an opponent who was ranked when they stepped in the cage with him. He has vowed to earn seven-figure guarantees as he continues to grow his brand, which has been helped by a successful podcast and friendships with the likes of McGregor and the Paul brothers, Jake and Logan.
"I actually recently sat down with the UFC," O’Malley told the DC & RC show on ESPN last week. "I re-signed with them, and I had a great conversation with Sean Shelby [the promotion's matchmaker].
"I go in there and I say, ‘Hey, I want to make this amount of money. How do I do that? What do I need to do as a business partner to the UFC to end up making the amount of money I want to make?’
"For me, I want to get to a point where I’m making a million dollars a fight. Obviously I’m not there right now and that’s not what I’m expecting to make against Pedro, but that’s where my mind’s at."
